UK DIY News

Doddle opens 35th store as many weeks

Doddle, the purple network of parcel stores, has opened its 35th store in the space of 35 weeks. The new store is located on Platform 12 at Network Rail’s London Paddington Station, one of Britain’s busiest with 17.4m visitors annually.

Doddle, a joint venture between entrepreneur Lloyd Dorfman and Network Rail, was launched in 2014 and has rapidly grown its network of parcel stores in the UK. It’s the only service of its kind to accept delivery of shoppers’ online purchases from any retailer or carrier.

Over thirty thousand people have already signed up to the service which enables customers to collect parcels and return unsuitable purchases in under two minutes, helping shoppers avoid the dreaded ‘while you were out’ slip. In addition the service means no more Saturday mornings spent queuing at a busy sorting office and is a convenient way to send parcels world-wide.

The Paddington Station store is part of a rapid Doddle store roll out programme which will see 100 stores open by the end of 2015, and up to 250 new locations by the end of 2017, creating 3,000 new jobs.

Doddle Paddington Station is open from 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Saturdays, and 11am to 5pm Sundays and bank holidays, ensuring that shoppers are able to time the collection or return of their parcels around their commute and typical working day.

Tim Robinson, CEO at Doddle, said: “Opening a new flagship Doddle store in one of London’s most famous stations is a really exciting moment for us. Missing a delivery is a real pain and costs the industry up to £3/4 billion a year[2], a cost which is inevitably passed onto consumers. We’re looking forward to doing our bit to help make online shopping a doddle by providing a convenient place for commuters and people working and living nearby to receive their deliveries and return unwanted items.”

David Biggs, Network Rail’s managing director of property, said: “More people are travelling by rail than ever before and stations have become more than just a place to wait for, or get off a train. We’ve expanded the quality and quantity of the retail offer at our biggest stations such as Paddington and a new Doddle store is an exciting addition.

“The hundreds of thousands of passengers using Paddington Station every day can now make use of this conveniently located parcel service and any profits we make are reinvested into the railway. “

Doddle currently has retail partnerships in place with a number of retailers including Amazon, Hawes & Curtis, Countrywide Farmers, Warehouse, Halfords and TM Lewin, with a number of new partnerships soon to be announced.

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